Federal ALP rails against Adani and CQ coal jobs

THE federal ALP is railing against taxpayer money being used to help Aurizon develop crucial infrastructure in Central Queensland to support the coal industry.

The office of Labor's spokesman for Northern Australia Jason Clare yesterday confirmed he stood strongly against taxpayers' money being used to help Aurizon's proposal to build a rail line linking proposed Galilee Basin coal mines to the Abbot Point port.

The Australian reports anti-coal activists say the Aurizon project would help Adani's controversial Carmichael Mine.

"The project should stand on its own without being propped up by taxpayers' money," Mr Clare said.

The move coincides with ALP federal leader Bill Shorten yesterday hardening his stance on the proposed Adani project in light of a Guardian Australia report that the mining giant submitted a falsified report about contamination of sensitive wetlands.

Adani has categorically refuted these claims.

Neither Adani nor the Queensland Government would comment further on the allegations with the matter now before the courts.

Federal Labor's anti-mining/Adani rhetoric comes as it faces a tough battle against the Greens in a crucial by-election in the inner-city Melbourne seat of Batman, where Adani is set to be a key issue.

The federal ALP's position has been seized upon by the Greens in Queensland who are ramping up the pressure on the Palaszczuk Government to follow the lead of their national colleagues.

During last year's Queensland election campaign, the Palaszczuk Government reversed its support for a proposed $1b loan from the federal Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.

However, the government hasn't said if it would back or veto a NAIF loan to Aurizon.

"All Queensland Labor have to do now is follow their colleagues' lead and rule out taxpayer funding for any new coal developments in the Galilee Basin," said Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett, who recently visited Rockhampton.

The Greens have been joined by Rockhampton-based Minister for Northern Australia Matt Canavan in calling on the Queensland Government to provide clarity on its position on the proposed Aurizon project.

Senator Canavan said "thousands of jobs are on the line" as he called for the government to "come clean as soon as possible about what it intends to do about other possible investments in the Galilee Basin".